Collectively speaking, every indicator is that this is our new reality. If one of the marks of a thriving democracy is that non-politicians can forget about the machinations of government for awhile, then we’re probably failing. At the moment, all statistics indicate that people don’t feel safe looking away.

That’s the macro viewpoint. But individually speaking, you need to disengage. At least for small snatches of time. For your sanity; for your health. You have to power down, close out, and turn off every single device you’ve got — even your pizza ordering sneakers. And when you take this time, when you break away from the media-internet-app-driven machine for just a few minutes, there are places to go for healing. Places that can help you recover, almost magically…

The outdoors. The thin spaces. The Badlands. The big sky country. The forest. The ocean. The desert.

You need a micro-adventure. You need a day trip. You need to hug a f*cking tree.